Oliver North Calls On Clinton To Resign

DULLES, Va. (AllPolitics, Aug. 19) -- Iran-Contra figure Oliver North on Wednesday joined the
growing list of those calling for the resignation of President Bill Clinton.

Oliver North

North, whose convictions in the Iran-Contra
affair were later reversed on appeal, said the "president's ability to serve
effectively in office is gone."

North, who is a radio talk show host, said it was past time for elected
Democrats to ask "the tough questions" of the president and urge him to act "in
the best interest of the nation."

"Where are the honorable Democrats who will hold their president
accountable, as Howard Baker did with Richard Nixon nearly 25 years ago?" he asked.

"President Clinton's ability to serve effectively in office is gone,"
North said. "World leaders cannot do business with a president they cannot
trust. For the good of the country, President Clinton should do the right
thing. He should resign."

He said Clinton does not understand what most Americans expect of their
president and that his Monday night address to the nation about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky offered no "sincere
remorse and no real apology." Clinton "confessed" only because he got
caught, North declared.

"This is not about politics or the president's private life -- this is
about a pattern of abuse of power throughout his presidency. The American
people expect their president to exercise good judgement, to be reliable,
faithful and honorable," said North.

"This man, who lied so effectively to everyone, including his own loyal
staff, has demonstrated that he does not deserve to hold the most powerful
office in the world," he said.

In the Iran-Contra scandal, North was originally convicted of altering and destroying documents, accepting an illegal gratuity and aiding and abetting in the obstruction of Congress. He was fined $150,000 and given a three-year suspended sentence, but his conviction was set aside on the grounds his immunized congressional testimony had been improperly used against him.